Department for Communities and Local Government

Council Housing: Greater London

Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many council homes have been built each year since 2010 in each of the 32 London boroughs.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: The numbers of local authority dwellings built ineach London borough from 2010/11 are shown in the attached table. For context I have also provided figures going back to 2001/2. These figures show that under Labour, from 2001/02-2009/10, there were 170 council homes built across the 32 London boroughs, whereas from 2010/11 to 2014/15 we have built 1,510 council homes across London.



PQ HL2937 - Number of council homes
(Excel SpreadSheet, 15.94 KB)

Leader of the House of Lords

Peers: Ministerial Policy Advisers

Lord Campbell-Savours: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment has been made of whether denying a member of the House of Lords who is a Special Adviser the right to speak is in breach of the letters patent, which refer to "seat" and "voice".

Baroness Stowell of Beeston: A member of the House of Lords who is eligible to take part in the work of the House, and who is also a serving special adviser, is not denied the right to speak. It has, however, been an accepted practice under successive administrations that members in that position vote but refrain from speaking.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

China: Family Planning

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they raised concerns about the impact of the one child policy in China on (1) human rights, (2) selective abortion of (a) female, and (b) disabled, unborn children, and (3) rates of forced abortions, infanticide and involuntary sterilisations, with President Xi Jinping during his visit to the United Kingdom.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: China’s ‘one child’ policy was not raised during his recent State Visit, though the Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron), was very clear during his wide-ranging discussions with President Xi Jinping of the importance that the UK attaches to human rights as part of our wider relationship with China. Reforms announced by the Chinese government on 29 October which should allow every Chinese family to have a second child, are a significant step.

China: Family Planning

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they discussed with President Xi Jinping, during his visit to the United Kingdom, the selective relaxation of the one child policy in China, and the impact of that revised policy on families who have more than two children.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: China’s ‘one child’ policy was not raised during the recent State Visit, though the Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron), was very clear during his wide-ranging discussions with President Xi Jinping of the importance that the UK attaches to human rights as part of our wider relationship with China. Reforms announced by the Chinese Government on 29 October which should allow every Chinese family to have a second child, are a significant step.

North Korea: Terrorism

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Anelay of St Johns on 22 June (HL689) in determining that North Korea does not pose a terrorist threat, what assessment they made of any involvement by North Korea in assassinations, attempted kidnapping and offering support for the Tamil Tigers, Hezbollah and Hamas.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: We are aware of media reports linking individuals alleged to be agents of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) to assassination attempts against DPRK citizens who have resettled in the Republic of Korea (ROK). The reports also detail the actions taken by the ROK authorities in response to these incidents. There are also occasional unverified reports that North Korean agents have abducted refugees resident in other countries. While the DPRK has acknowledged its involvement in the historical abductions of Japanese citizens during the 1970s and 1980s, it has not admitted to participation in these more recent reported cases. We strongly support efforts to resolve enforced disappearances and spoke on this matter during a UN Human Rights Council panel discussion in September.We are also aware of media reports alleging cooperation between the DPRK and the Tamil Tigers, Hezbollah and Hamas. Despite these reports, recent public assessments indicate that the DPRK is not known to have sponsored any terrorist acts since 1987. However, the UK remains extremely concerned by the DPRK’s indiscriminate global proliferation of arms and related material, in violation of UN sanctions.

Central African Republic: Politics and Government

Baroness Berridge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their latest assessment of the security situation in the Central African Republic.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The security situation in the Central African Republic (CAR) is grave. Outside the capital Bangui, violence, looting, road-blocks, hostage-taking and human rights abuses continue to occur with relative impunity.The security situation in Bangui is more stable than the rest of the country, having improved following the surge in violence in late September, but tensions still run high and we continue to advise against all travel to CAR.

Central African Republic: Peacekeeping Operations

Baroness Berridge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much the United Kingdom contributes to the cost of the UN peacekeeping force in the Central African Republic.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The UK contributes £23.2 million for the financial year 2014/15, and a projected £33.02 million for the financial year 2015/16, to the UN Peacekeeping Budget for the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA). These are assessed (i.e. mandatory) contributions which are based on funding a fixed percentage of MINUSCA’s budget.

Central African Republic

Baroness Berridge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the need for funds to enable the disarmament, demobilisation and re-integration of those perpetrating violence in the Central African Republic.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: Disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration (DDR) is essential to create the conditions for stability and security in the Central African Republic (CAR). The UN peacekeeping force in CAR, the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA), is the lead on DDR work in CAR. The UK works closely with MINUSCA to ensure it provides adequate support to CAR authorities to launch DDR in CAR.MINUSCA has budgeted $28 million for a DDR programme aimed at what they expect will amount to 3,500 ex-Seleka fighters in total and 1,500-3,500 dependants. Through the UK’s contribution to MINUSCA, we support this vital work on pushing DDR forward in CAR.MINUSCA is currently in the pre-DDR phase, preparing for the launch of DDR. This entails a sensitisation process/education process for former combatants who will take part in DDR.

Israel: Palestinians

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel about the state of emergency declared by the Palestinian Red Crescent on 4 October.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: While we have not raised this issue specifically with the Israeli authorities, we are clear that medical staff should have the protection that allows them to do their jobs in safety. Since the start of the current violence we have spoken regularly to both the Israeli government and the Palestinian Authority on the need to de-escalate the tensions.

Bangladesh: Religious Freedom

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the answer by Baroness Anelay of St Johns on 22 October (HL Deb, GC53–4), what response they have received from the government of Bangladesh following the representations they have made about the murder of secularists and upholding rights of freedom of belief set out in Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The Government has been unequivocal in its condemnation of the murder of four secular bloggers in Bangladesh this year, and in calling for the Government of Bangladesh to protect those who face threats to their lives because of the views they have expressed. The Bangladesh authorities continue their investigations to find the perpetrators and a number of arrests have been made. The UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief, Heiner Bielefeldt, visited Bangladesh from 31 August to 9 September. We look forward to his report at the UN Human Rights Council in March 2016 and we will encourage the government to consider all its recommendations carefully.

EU Immigration

Baroness Helic: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what criteria were used to decide which governments to invite to participate in the European Union leaders’ meeting of 25 October to discuss the Western Balkans migratory route.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The British Government understands that on 25 October Commission President Juncker convened leaders from those countries most affected by the migration crisis along the Western Balkans route; namely, Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Romania, Serbia and Slovenia. The emergency meeting was not attended by all 28 Member States of the EU, or all the countries of the Western Balkans. The Secretary of State for the Home Department, my right hon. Friend the Member for Maidenhead (Mrs May), participated in a formal EU Conference with Western Balkans and other countries on 8 October in Luxembourg which agreed a comprehensive package of measures for dealing with the challenges of migration through the Eastern Mediterranean.

Jerusalem

Lord Turnberg: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they have had with King Abdullah of Jordan about his role in and responsibility for the oversight of the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: King Abdullah raised his concerns over violence at the Temple Mount/Haram al-Sharif site during the visit to Jordan in September by the Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron). We regularly discuss measures to de-escalate tensions and maintain the status quo with all levels of the Jordanian government.On 29 October the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my hon. Friend the member for Bournemouth East (Mr Ellwood), met a delegation of Arab Heads of Mission, led by the Jordanian Ambassador, to discuss the violence at the Holy Sites and the implementation of the recent Israel-Jordan agreement. He assured the Ambassador and delegation that we will do all we can to support efforts to de-escalate tensions and maintain the status quo, which includes encouraging all sides to respect the King of Jordan’s custodianship.

Jerusalem

Lord Turnberg: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what approaches they have made to the President of the Palestinian Authority about his comments that Israel intends to take over the Temple Mount and the mosque situated there.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), emphasised the importance of calming the current tensions when he spoke to President Abbas on 9 October. On 26 October, our Consul General in Jerusalem raised our concerns with Prime Minister and Minister for Interior, Rami Hamdallah.Since the start of the current violence we have spoken regularly to both the Palestinian Authority and the Israeli Government on the need to de-escalate tensions, avoid any words or actions that could incite further violence, and maintain the status quo at the holy site of Haram al-Sharif/Temple Mount.

Syria: Peace Negotiations

Baroness Helic: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether there are any new initiatives planned to revive or replace the so-called Geneva Two process on Syria.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The UK remains committed to a sustainable political settlement that leads to a political transition in Syria, away from Assad, to a government in Damascus which better meets the needs of the Syrian people and with which we can work to defeat extremism. The Geneva Communiqué, which has been agreed by key international parties, remains a key building block of our efforts on this. On 30 October the UK, US, Russia, key Middle East states and European partners met in Vienna to take forward discussions on this. The Vienna Communiqué sets out areas of agreement and may provide the basis for a new process. The parties have agreed to reconvene within the next two weeks.

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

Design: Apprentices

Lord Freyberg: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many apprenticeships there are in the field of design; and whether they plan to take steps to increase the number.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: Apprenticeship Starts by Frameworks including those in design-related subject areas, are published in a supplementary table to the Statistical First Release https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/467751/apprenticeships-starts-by-sase-framework.xls https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/learner-participation-outcomes-and-level-of-highest-qualification-heldWe are taking action to support and encourage the growth of apprenticeships in all sectors to meet our commitment to 3 million starts over this Parliament. We are working with large and small businesses to find ways to encourage employers, colleges and schools to work together to increase the number of apprenticeships.Over 1300 employers are currently involved in designing new apprenticeship standards including in Design-related occupations such as Product Design & Development Engineer; Product Design & Development Technician; Visual Effects Designer and Software Developer - with more in development.



Apprenticeships
(Excel SpreadSheet, 225 KB)




Learner details
(PDF Document, 928.13 KB)

Department for International Development

St Helena: Airports

Lord Jones of Cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what initiatives they are planning to encourage tourists to use the new airport on St Helena.

Baroness Verma: The UK Government is providing financial support of £4.8 million between 2013 and 2016 to Enterprise St Helena, the island’s economic development agency. Enterprise St Helena is supporting the tourism sector through tourist promotion, international advertising, hospitality training, and small business development grants. It is also working with Comair, the St Helena Government’s airline partner, to encourage tourists to visit the island.

West Africa: Ebola

Lord Wills: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what research they are planning to fund in West Africa into the persistence of the Ebola virus in survivors, and into post-Ebola syndrome.

Baroness Verma: DFID is making UK-funded treatment facilities and laboratories available for research into Ebola survivors and existing DFID-funded research may provide relevant evidence. For example the Anthropology Platform is conducting research into survivors, and the WHO vaccine trial in Guinea is following up participants for three months.To mitigate any risk of potential Ebola transmission, the UK is also helping the Government of Sierra Leone to assist survivors with access to healthcare, safe sex education and condoms, counselling and stigma reduction activities.

International Assistance

Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of international aid agencies' efforts to support and protect their staff from sexual abuse.

Baroness Verma: Whilst we do not have a contractual obligation to have a duty of care for the staff of international aid agencies that are funded by DFID, all DFID funding is subject to DFID’s Due Diligence procedures which assess an organisation’s governance and control structure and those of their downstream partners.

Department for Education

Unemployment: Young People

Lord Browne of Belmont: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what proportion of young people considered not to be in education, employment or training (1) have a disability, or (2) are carers, broken down by region.

Lord Nash: Official data covering young people not in education, employment or training (NEET) in England is regularly published by the Department for Education. This data cannot, however, be broken down by individual characteristics.Local authorities collect data on the proportion of 16-18 year olds known by their local authority to be NEET, and who have a learning difficulty or disability, or who are carers.

Special Educational Needs

Lord Browne of Belmont: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what options and support are available for young people with special educational needs, but who do not have a statement of special needs, during the transition between school and further education.

Lord Nash: The Special Educational Needs and Disability Code of Practice makes it clear that both schools and further education colleges in England should support all children and young people with SEN through this important transition, whether or not they have a statement of SEN or an Education, Health and Care Plan.The Code of Practice sets out expectations for this transition. These include a working partnership between schools and colleges; opportunities for young people to familiarise themselves with the new setting; and that the new setting ensure the right provision is in place to meet the young person’s needs and aspirations.Schools also have a duty to secure independent careers guidance for all Year 8 -13 pupils, including those with SEN. This must include information on the full range of education and training options, including further education and apprenticeships.

Migration: Education

Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to ensure that United Kingdom immigration and emigration statistics are studied as part of the core curriculum in schools.

Lord Nash: The national curriculum contains a number of opportunities for pupils to be taught about migration, for example within the History curriculum. As part of a compulsory unit on British history, 11 to 14 year olds may study the social history of migration to, from and within the British Isles.

The Lord Chairman of Committees

House of Lords: Consultants

Lord Storey: To ask the Chairman of Committees how many consultants have been employed in the House of Lords in the last three years; and what has been the cost of each firm or independent consultant.

Lord Laming: Payments for the last three financial years are as follows:Firm2012-13 £2013-14 £2014-15 £Work undertakenBeamans Ltd--31,050Costs related to a pay and grading reviewBHBi Consultancy Ltd14,800--Audit of an ongoing capital projectBostock Marketing Group23,025-20,238Costs of the independently-managed Member and staff surveysCapita Business Services-6,913-Support for an equal pay auditCatering Consultancy Bureau-6,12813,662Branding project for Catering and Retail Services (CRS) outlets and delivery of communications workshopsChartered Institute of Procurement and Supply-23,118-Support for a review of procurement servicesGovernment Actuary’s Department5,4005,0007,500Annual accounting valuation of the House of Lords staff pension schemeHelena Bayler275-825Design and amendment of specialist formsInformation Accreditor2,12513,77024,735Proportion of costs to provide the two Houses with assurance on the security of new IT systemsJM HR Solutions Limited15,0007,750-Human resource review supportPanache Consultancy Limited2,952--Review of staffing requirements for certain CRS outletsSage Food Design and Development-10,7618,269CRS consultancy regarding food covering: menus, kitchen production, kitchen organisations and structureStern Consultancy-3,468-Income generation project supportThe Litmus Partnership Limited-7,98218,400CRS smarter procurement support and related services including supplier price challengeThe Mystery Dining Company-555395Mystery shopping of catering venuesTurpin Smale-4,400-CRS outlet-specific consultancy to support the Change ProgrammeUniversity of Portsmouth Ltd4,157--Specialist support to develop a facility to search for records from the Parliament Archives online catalogue by placeTOTAL68,77590,720125,074N/AThe House seeks only to engage external consultant support when it is more economical to engage specialist services on a fixed term basis than to embed capacity in-House, when specific external advice is beneficial, or when capacity issues necessitate it.Most of the spending on consultancy in Catering and Retail Services has been to support an ambitious Change Programme which is seeking to deliver a step change in food quality and service by empowering individuals in order to provide better value for money to both the Member and the taxpayer. This investment should help the House reduce the cost of catering provision.

Home Office

Asylum: EU Law

Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the Dublin Regulation, in the light of recent events in Syria, and the need to protect vulnerable refugees.

Lord Bates: As set out in my Written Answer HL1907 on 21 September, the Government has no plans to change the way in which we apply the Dublin Regulation. The Dublin Regulation is a vital tool in our ability to manage asylum claims, including repeated claims.The European Commission has proposed a review of the Dublin Regulation with a view to bringing forward a new measure for negotiation next March. We will cooperate fully with that review.

EU Immigration

Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what measures they are taking to support the governments of Italy and Greece to deal with the number of immigrants arriving in their countries.

Lord Bates: The UK has provided support to Italy and Greece through European Asylum Support Office (EASO) coordinated missions. We have provided over 1000 days of staff time on 20 missions over 3 years, more than any other Member State. The UK will also provide up to ten personnel to EASO to support ‘Hotspot’ missions in Italy and Greece.In addition to assistance through EASO the UK is also providing Greece bilateral law enforcement support through our National Crime Agency.The UK actively supports the work of Frontex (the European Union agency with responsibility for improving the securing and surveillance of the EU external border) to co-ordinate the work of the European border agencies to raise standards of border management.

Terrorism: British Nationals Abroad

Lord Blencathra: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what range of sanctions is available to use against British Jihadists returning to the United Kingdom after fighting in Syria and Iraq; and whether they will encourage the police to use them.

Lord Bates: People seeking to travel to engage in terrorist activity in Syria or Iraq should be in no doubt we will take the strongest possible action to protect our national security. If they return to the UK they should expect to be subject to a police investigation. Whether a prosecution for an offence can be pursued in individual cases is a matter for the Crown Prosecution Service.The Counter-Terrorism and Security Act, which received Royal Assent on 12 February 2015, has added to existing powers by disrupting the ability of people to travel abroad to engage in terrorism-related activity and controlling their return to the UK; enhancing our ability to monitor and control the actions of those in the UK who pose a threat; and combating the underlying ideology that feeds, supports and sanctions terrorism.In addition, the Government has powers under the Immigration Act 2014 to deprive persons of their British citizenship if such a deprivation is deemed ‘conducive to the public good’, for instance if a person has been involved in threats to national security, war crimes, serious and organised crime or unacceptable behaviours such as glorification of terrorism. Deprivation of British citizenship results in simultaneous loss of the right of abode in the United Kingdom. Once deprived, an individual becomes subject to immigration powers and can be deported or removed from the UK

Terrorism: British Nationals Abroad

Lord Blencathra: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what consideration they have given to the removal of the passports of British Jihadists who have gone to fight in Syria and Iraq, in order to prevent their return to the United Kingdom.

Lord Bates: The Government has long-standing powers under the Immigration Act 2014 to deprive persons of their British citizenship if such deprivation is deemed ‘conducive to the public good’, for instance if a person has been involved in threats to national security, war crimes, serious and organised crime or unacceptable behaviours such as glorification of terrorism.Deprivation of British citizenship results in simultaneous loss of the right of abode in the United Kingdom. Once deprived, an individual becomes subject to immigration powers and can be deported or removed from the UK or prevented from returning to the UK if deprivation action occurs whilst they are abroad.In addition under the Counter-Terrorism and Security Act 2015, the Home Secretary may impose a temporary exclusion order on a British citizen suspected of involvement in terrorism-related activity outside the UK. The individual’s passport would be cancelled, but the individual may return to the UK in accordance with a permit to return.

Asylum: LGBT People

Lord Scriven: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the action plan sent to the National Asylum Stakeholder Forum following the Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration's report in 2014 on asylum on grounds of sexual orientation has now been agreed and implemented in full.

Lord Bates: Following publication of the Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration’s report last year and in consultation with key partners, UKVI produced and agreed an LGBTI ‘Action Plan’ to facilitate further improvements in the handling and management of asylum claims brought on the basis of sexual identity issues and to improve the training and guidance given to staff.The key inspection recommendations have been reflected in this plan, specifically improving training and guidance to decision makers, improving claim recording mechanisms, ensuring policy compliance, and ensuring a consistent approach to explicit material and dealing with sexually explicit questioning. We continue to work with our partners in developing these strategies to ensure full implementation of the Chief Inspector’s recommendations.

HM Treasury

Tobacco

Baroness Crawley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether ministerial approval was given to HM Revenue and Customs to conduct a pilot programme of the tobacco industry's Codentify trading and tracing system.

Lord O'Neill of Gatley: HM Revenue and Customs is not conducting a pilot programme of the Codentify tracking and tracing system.HM Revenue and Customs is piloting Codentify as a tool for product authentication only.As this is a trial only, no ministerial approval was required or has been sought.

Tobacco

Baroness Crawley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the pilot programme by HM Revenue and Customs of the tobacco industry's Codentify trading and tracing system in the light of the United Kingdom's obligations under the World Health Organization's Framework Convention on Tobacco Control and its protocol.

Lord O'Neill of Gatley: HM Revenue and Customs has made no assessment of the effectiveness of the Codentify tracking and tracing system.

Tobacco

Baroness Crawley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether HM Revenue and Customs are undertaking any pilot programmes for tobacco control other than with the tobacco industry's Codentify trading and tracing system.

Lord O'Neill of Gatley: HM Revenue and Customs are not piloting any tracking and tracing systems for tobacco control.HM Revenue and Customs are currently trialling Codentify as a product authentication system only.

Tobacco

Baroness Crawley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment (1) HM Revenue and Customs, and (2) the Department of Health, have made of the accuracy of the Codentify trading and tracing system as a means of product authentication.

Lord O'Neill of Gatley: HM Revenue and Customs has made no assessment of the accuracy of the Codentify tracking and tracing system as a means of product authentication.The Department of Health is not responsible for product authentication and it has made no assessment of the accuracy of the Codentify tracking and tracing system as a means of product authentication.

Financial Services

Lord Patten: To ask Her Majesty’s Government when ministers last met representatives of the Investment Association to discuss fund management industry matters.

Lord O'Neill of Gatley: Treasury Ministers have meetings with a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery.Ministers’ Quarterly Transparency Returns provide details of ministerial meetings with external organisations on departmental business and are published on a quarterly basis and can be found on the Government’s website.

Cabinet Office

Electoral Register

Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to ensure that the electoral register is as complete as possible by the end of March 2016.

Lord Bridges of Headley: We are working with Local Authorities, the Electoral Commission and Civil Society groups to find better ways of reaching and encouraging under registered groups to register, as the Minister for Constitutional Reform set out in his recent speech on voter engagement. This can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/vision-for-electoral-registration-speech-by-john-penrose.Online registration is making the process notably quicker, easier and more convenient for everybody, but particularly for under-registered groups like young people; 2.9 million 16-24 year olds have applied since June 2014. Completing the implementation of Individual Electoral Registration will also help, by giving an accurate picture of registration levels that isn’t artificially inflated or flattered by people who have either died or moved away.

Ministers: Codes of Practice

Lord Falconer of Thoroton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of whether the removal of the reference in the Ministerial Code to having to comply with international law and treaty obligations alters the legal obligations of ministers.

Lord Falconer of Thoroton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the new Ministerial Code, whether the duty of ministers to comply with the law continues to include international law and treaties.

Lord Falconer of Thoroton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the Attorney General was consulted or notified before the decision was made to remove the reference to the need to comply with international law and treaty obligations from the Ministerial Code.

Lord Bridges of Headley: The Ministerial Code is normally updated and reissued after a General Election. The updated Code makes clear that Ministers must abide by the law. The obligations of Ministers under the law including international law remain unchanged.Information relating to internal discussions and advice is not disclosed.